U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed on Thursday for “all parties” in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict, and said that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering.
Quick Read
- A cease-fire is key to ending the region’s cycle of violence, Blinken says
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for all parties in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict, emphasizing that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is the only way to break the cycle of violence and suffering.
- Blinken’s remarks came amid heightened tensions following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the killing of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut, both attributed to Israel.
- Speaking in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Blinken urged countries to “make the right choices” and highlighted the necessity of achieving a cease-fire to reduce violence and suffering in the region.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and representatives of Palestinian militia groups prayed over Haniyeh’s coffin, with concerns that the assassination could escalate the fighting into an all-out regional war.
- No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on Haniyeh, but suspicion has fallen on Israel, which has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
- The Israeli military also confirmed the death of Hamas’ military wing chief, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza, further complicating cease-fire efforts.
- Blinken has been in contact with regional leaders, including the prime minister of Qatar and the foreign minister of Jordan, to push for a cease-fire.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed the death of an Iranian military adviser in the Beirut airstrike, identifying him as Milad Bidi.
- Singapore and other international actors have called for de-escalation to avoid a wider regional conflict.
- An American container carrier ship is delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor from Cyprus to Israel’s port of Ashdod.
- Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused the U.S. of coordinating Haniyeh’s assassination in his speech at the funeral in Tehran.
- Thousands of people in Tehran attended Haniyeh’s funeral, showing support for the Palestinian cause.
- Thousands also protested in Istanbul against Haniyeh’s assassination, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning the killing and vowing continued support for Palestinians.
The Associated Press has the story:
A cease-fire is key to ending the region’s cycle of violence, Blinken says
Newslooks- ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed on Thursday for “all parties” in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict, and said that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering.
The remarks came as prayers were held by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and representatives of Palestinian militia groups for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Worry has spread that the shock assassination risks escalating the fighting into an all-out regional war. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but suspicion quickly fell on Israel, which has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
The assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran and the strike against senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut could upend the attempts to defuse a Middle East powder keg, with Iran also threatening to respond after the attack on its territory. And the Israeli military said Thursday it confirmed that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. During a late-July visit to the U.S., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was determined to win nothing less than “total victory” against Hamas. Asked directly by journalists on the point later, he said that Israel hoped for a cease-fire soon and was working for one.
Here’s the latest:
Blinken urges all parties in the Middle East to avoid escalating the tense region into further conflict
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken says on Thursday “all parties” in the Middle East must avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran that Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.
Speaking in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Thursday, Blinken appealed for countries to “make the right choices in the days ahead” and said that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was the only way to begin to break the current cycle of violence and suffering. Blinken did not mention Israel, Iran or Hamas by name in his comments.
“Right now, the path that the region is on is toward more conflict, more violence, more suffering, more insecurity and it is crucial that we break the cycle and that starts with the cease-fire that we’ve been working on, which I believe is not only achievable, it has to be achieved,” Blinken said.
Blinken noted that even while in Asia he has been on the phone with regional leaders, including the prime minister of Qatar and the foreign minister of Jordan. “We’re all focused on making sure we can get the cease-fire over the finish line and building on it for everyone’s sake, for the future,” he said.
Iran says one of its military advisers died in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said that an Iranian military adviser died in the Israeli airstrike in Beirut earlier in the week that killed a senior Hezbollah commander. In a statement on its website, the Guard identified the adviser as Milad Bidi, saying he had been operating in Syria and Lebanon. The Guard has advisers in both countries working with key allies Hezbollah, the Syrian government and other militias.
The Guard did not specify the day of the strike that killed Bidi, but Tuesday evening’s attack was the only Israeli strike hit in the Lebanese capital since January. The strike hit a building in a Beirut suburb, killing a Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, along with at least five civilians. The Beirut strike and an alleged Israeli airstrike in Tehran that killed Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday have hiked fears of an expanded regional war. Shukur’s funeral was set to take place Thursday in Beirut.
Singapore calls for de-escalation in the Middle East
SINGAPORE — Singapore is deeply concerned about developments in the Middle East, including the killing of Haniyeh, who was involved in negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza, the government said Thursday. “This puts at risk efforts to secure a cease-fire agreement that would allow for the release of all hostages and facilitate humanitarian assistance to the civilian population,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Singapore called on all parties to take steps to de-escalate tensions to avoid a wider regional conflagration.
A US container ship is delivering thousands of tons of aid to Gaza
NICOSIA, Cyprus — An American container carrier ship is making trips from Cyprus to the Israeli port of Ashdod every few days to deliver at least another 2,200 tons of donated humanitarian aid that’s intended for Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. The United States decided in July to dismantle its military-built pier carrying the aid directly to the Palestinian territory, but in the meantime, Israeli officials remain on hand at the Cypriot port to monitor screening procedures that employ large, arc-shaped X-Ray machines through which pallet-laden trucks pass.
So far, nearly 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid — about 80% of which is food — have reached Gaza through the maritime link and officials are looking ahead to help in eventual reconstruction efforts once a firm cease-fire is in place. The U.S.-headquartered charity World Central Kitchen made the first direct Cyprus-Gaza trip as part of the maritime corridor initiative on March 12 with the Open Arms ship that towed a barge loaded with aid pallets to a makeshift jetty.
Iran’s Parliament speaker blames the US in a speech at Hamas leader Haniyeh’s funeral
TEHRAN, Iran — In his speech at Haniyeh’s funeral ceremony in Tehran, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that such attacks are carried out under the United States’ guidance and coordination, “and nothing happens without the coordination and support of criminal America.” State TV broadcast Qalibaf’s speech live as he insisted that the U.S. had a role in Haniyeh’s assassination, and accused Washington of lying that it had not been informed of any plans for the attack. Thousands of people in Tehran attended the Haniyeh’s funeral, waving Iranian, Palestinian, and Hezbollah flags.
State TV showed people on the street mostly wearing black dresses representing sadness, in temperatures already reaching 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at 11 a.m. local time. A giant mist sprayer was deployed to make the hot temperature cooler for the people. The coffins could be seen being placed in a truck and moved on the street toward Azadi, “Freedom” in Farsi, Square in Tehran, with people throwing flowers at them.
Thousands in Istanbul protest Haniyeh’s assassination
ISTANBUL — Thousands of people marched in central Istanbul to protest the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Carrying Palestinian flags and photographs of Haniyeh, the protesters gathered outside Fatih Mosque late Wednesday, marched through the historic district of Fatih, and performed funeral prayers for the Hamas chief. “Let’s not let the blood of the children there be shed anymore, we say enough is enough. Let’s go there. Let’s fight,” said Veysel Orhan, one of the protesters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics, has denounced Haniyeh’s killing as a “despicable act” and vowed to continue supporting the Palestinian cause “with all our means and strength.”
